Parting is Such Sweet Sorrows
by quietandsneaky
Summary: Neil's twin sister Lynn takes a vacation to talk to her brother-twenty years after he died.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters of Dead Poets Society do not belong to me. The original character of Amelia Lynn Dalton does.

CHAPTER ONE

The wind blew into the small, lone car on the highway that night, but to Amelia Lynn Dalton, it felt magical. She was driving from her small country home in New England to a cabin she and her husband owned in the mountains. She made the trip twice a year, once with Charlie and the children and once by herself. As much as Lynn loved and cared for her family, she relished the four day weekend she spent on the road, with nothing but the sights and sounds around her to keep her company.

Well, almost nothing.

Lynn took a glance at the photo taped to her dashboard and felt a twinge of guilt. Part of her hated to be away from her three beautiful children, all of whom were turning into bright, intelligent minds who made both their mother and father's hearts swell with pride.

Fifteen year old Neil, nicknamed 'Junior' was a thin lanky high schooler who was growing even taller than his father. He was an exceptional student, especially when it came to literature. He had read books in elementary school some students didn't read until middle or high school. Lynn loved all her children equally, but felt a particular attachment to Neil. Charlie had traveled a lot when Neil was a small child, so for the first five years of Neil's life, it had mostly been the two of them.

Eight year old Danielle was another story entirely. She was fiercely independent, constantly wanting to learn and explore on her own. She could be willful, but usually listened to her mom and dad. Danielle was the child who had taught Lynn and Charlie the true value of patience. At 4' with brown hair and brown eyes, Danielle was the spitting image of her mother.

Four year old Mollie was a daddy's girl, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She was, as Charlie described her, "the definition of cute". With tight, curly, light brown hair, Mollie was the cuddle but of the family. She was always seeking an extra hug or kiss from Charlie. Rather than be jealous of their relationship, it was a source of pride for Lynn. Watching Mollie in Charlie's arms proved to Lynn that she had given her children something she'd never had herself. A loving, caring father.

Charlie. Thinking of him now, her pride turned to regret. She had been in a terrible fight with him right before she left that had never been resolved. Even though she'd made this trip every year since they'd been married, Charlie's curiosity had finally gotten the better of him. He'd insisted on knowing what she did during her four, five, six, sometimes seven to ten days on the road. Lynn had tried to get away with an answer of "just relaxing", but Charlie didn't buy it. When she'd refused to answer any more, Charlie had left for the night. When he'd come back the following morning to take the kids to school, Lynn had taken her packed suitcase and hit the road.

That had been earlier that morning, and Lynn had spent the day lost in her own thoughts. Thoughts of the only guy other than Charlie Lynn had ever really loved. Tomorrow would be twenty years to the day that Neil Sr. had killed himself. Even though it had been that long, Lynn still felt the same hurt, the same grief, the same everything she'd felt when she'd been told of Neil's death.

Lynn checked the clock, fighting back tears as she thought of Neil. 8:00 PM. Junior would be doing his homework while Charlie got Danielle and Mollie ready for bed. Lynn saw the payphone she always called home from. She parked the car and took a deep breath, trying to decide what to say to Charlie.

"Hey, sis."

Lynn nearly screamed. She had been in the car alone all day. But she relaxed when she saw who her company was. Heart still beating fast, Lynn looked at her passenger with aggravation.

"You scared me."

Neil was in the car with her.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Neil laughed, having just scared his sister to death. Lynn was annoyed, but not surprised to see him. Lynn smiled a little, but Neil caught on immediately that something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Lynn foolishly tried to hide it from him. "Nothing." she said. "You're late, that's all."

Neil smiled. "How long have I been your brother?"

Lynn knew she had to give it up. "Forever."

Lynn turned to Neil and took in his appearance. In twenty years, it had never changed. He was always wearing the same thing: his Welton school uniform. He looked exactly the same as he had the last time she'd seen him alive. Two hours before that damn play. Happy, ready to take on the world.

"It's good to see you, Neil."

"Uh oh, what did Charlie do?" Neil asked.

Lynn laughed. "Why do you say that?"

"Twenty years and you've never said that to me." Neil said.

"Yeah." Lynn did her trademark sign of frustration, running her hands through her hair. "We had a fight."

Neil knew he had to ask, but wasn't sure he wanted the answer. "About me?"

Lynn nodded. "Yes." she knew she had to tell him now or she might not get up the nerve. "This is it, Neil."

Neil had expected to hear this from her for a few years now. "Good."

Lynn was shocked. "Good?"

"Yeah." Neil told her. "It's been twenty years, sis. It's time."

Lynn realized that he was right. This trip had kept Lynn from ever really mourning Neil. Every really accepting the fact that he was gone. It had changed her life, both for better and for worse. But she'd realized, after the argument with Charlie, that she needed to say goodbye to Neil if she ever wanted to really move on with her life. Ending her time with Neil crushed her, but for the sake of her family, it had to be done.

"Okay." Lynn agreed. "So what do we do?"

"You call Charlie. Apologize and tell him you'll tell him what these trips have been about after you get home."

"He's gonna think I'm crazy." Lynn pointed out.

"You're the one that's been talking to a ghost for twenty years." Neil countered. "Besides, it's better than what he's probably thinking."

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked.

"Think about it." Neil said. "If he left every year and you didn't knew what he was doing…"

Lynn was stunned. "He thinks I'm having affair?" she asked, instantly feeling guilty.

But Lynn realized Neil was right. Charlie had put up with this for years. Why hadn't he said anything before now? Why had he let his doubts fester for that long? Lynn opened the door and asked Neil,

"You gonna be up at the cabin?"

"See you there."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Charlie ran around the house, trying to tire his two young girls enough to get them to go straight to sleep when he put them to bed that night. He heard the phone ring downstairs and instructed his son to answer. He heard Junior answer the phone and talk for a few minutes. Lynn was finally calling. Junior yelled up the stairs for Charlie, Danielle, and Mollie to come down. Mollie reached up and Charlie carried her down the stairs, halfheartedly tickling her in an attempt to lighten his own mood. Charlie reached for the phone, but Junior held it back.

"She said she wanted to talk to Dani and Mollie first. She wants to talk to you alone."

Charlie nodded and let Junior hand the phone to Danielle. Danielle talked for a minute, then handed the phone to Mollie. Mollie talked a little longer, but Charlie waited patiently. He was still a little angry at Lynn for leaving the way she had, but he was mostly regretful that he had driven her to it. Charlie heard Mollie say "Good night, mommy, I love you," took the phone from her, and sent her upstairs to get ready for bed.

"Hi." Charlie answered.

"Hi." Lynn said, noting his lack of enthusiasm.

A moment of tense silence between them before saying at exactly the same time, "I'm sorry."

Both of them laughed and Lynn said, "You first."

Charlie sighed. "I shouldn't have fought with you over this. You deserve a little time to yourself."

"And I shouldn't have left like I did." Lynn said. She then asked what was really bothering her. "Do you think I've been cheating on you?"

Charlie was stunned. How had she guessed? He had always thought in the back of his mind that it was a possibility, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. But this year, with her insistence on leaving no matter what, and her refusal to tell him about her trips, he had feared that the possibility was a reality. And this morning, when he'd come home and found her suitcase and car gone.

"Charlie?"

"Yes." Charlie answered.

Lynn felt like she'd just been stabbed in the heart. "Why didn't you just ask?" she said, near tears.

"I figured you might deny it." Charlie answered honestly.

Lynn felt a tear slide down her cheek. She wiped it away and leaned against the the payphone booth for support. How could Charlie believe she'd ever hurt him like that? Then again, she hadn't exactly given him ample reason to doubt it.

"Charlie…." she started, collecting her breath and fighting back more tears. "Do you trust me?"

Charlie was shocked by the question, and the fact that she hadn't given him a flat out denial didn't escape his attention. "Yes." he answered, only half truthfully.

Lynn felt her heart break a little more. "Charlie?" she pressed.

"I don't know." he answered.

That answer broke Lynn. She sobbed silently for a few seconds, trying to hide the tears from Charlie. Charlie heard, but gave her time to collect herself.

"Charlie." Lynn said slowly, her heart aching so bad she felt it was literally breaking. "I don't know how I can convince you of this, but I've never cheated on you. Never have and never will. I'm not having an affair. But this is going to be my last solo trip."

Charlie was surprised to say the least. "Babe, you don't…"

"Please, just let me finish." Lynn begged, and Charlie fell silent. "This is going to be the last time, I swear. I need you to give me a few days to do something. Then when I get home I promise I'll tell you everything."

Charlie couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lynn loved her trips, always packing for them early and looking forward to them for weeks. Now, she sounded upset, defeated, like she was sacrificing this just for the sake of their relationship. The thought of that broke Charlie's heart and touched him at the same time.

"Only if you promise you won't resent me for this." Charlie agreed.

"Never." Lynn promised. "I love you, Bear."

Charlie smiled. He hadn't heard her use his nickname in a while. "I love you too, Babe."

"Good night." Lynn said.

"Good night." Charlie said as he hung up the phone.

"Daddy!" a very insistent Mollie shouted from the top of the stairs.

Charlie smiled. "Coming, honey."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Charlie hung up the phone with Lynn, unsure how exactly to feel about the conversation he'd just had with her. He was relieved that they'd discussed the problem, but he wasn't sure he liked the fact that Lynn still didn't want to tell him anything. Charlie went upstairs and put Danielle and Mollie to bed. Coming back downstairs, he nearly ran head on into Junior.

"Oh. Sorry, son."

"It's okay." Junior said, noticing his father was distracted. "Dad?"

"Yeah." Charlie acknowledged.

"Is mom okay?"

Charlie felt a little guiltier. He'd tried to keep the kids hidden from what was going on. "Yeah, she's fine."

"Why did she leave?" Junior pressed.

Charlie bit back a sharp response. "She just needed to get away." Charlie told him, a stress headache growing.

But Junior was as sharp as his mother when it came to reading his father. "Dad.."

"Junior…" Charlie said irritably, instantly regretting his outburst. "Son, I'm sorry. Mom and I just had an argument last night and she left before we talked this morning."

"She's coming back though, right?" Junior asked, seeming more like a little boy at that moment than an almost grown teenager.

"Of course she is, son." Charlie clapped him on the shoulder for comfort. "She couldn't leave you guys for long." Charlie smiled, hoping he was at least somewhat successful in convincing Junior.

It appeared to work. "Okay, dad. Good night."

"Good night, son."

Charlie watched as Junior went up to the room that had been his since the day he had been born. Charlie thought back to the day that he and Lynn had gotten the house, a sudden sense of nostalgia filling him.

CHRISTMAS 1964-15 ½ YEARS EARLIER

Charlie walked into the apartment, feeling like he'd collapse under the weight of his own exhaustion. He put his briefcase down, surprised not to find his wife waiting for him. Charlie took his jacket off and hung it next to the door.

"Honey, I'm home." Charlie called.

"Coming!" he heard Lynn call.

Charlie wasn't sure, but he thought he'd heard a giggle from the living room. One that didn't belong to Lynn. One that was distinctly male. Lynn appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi." Charlie greeted, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Is someone here?"

"I've got a surprise for you." Lynn said, barely able to contain her grin.

 _My goodness, you're beautiful_. Charlie thought. Even at eight and a half months pregnant, she was stunning. Charlie grabbed her around the waist and kissed her much more passionately than the peck of the cheek.

"Haven't changed much, have you, Nuwanda?"

Charlie nearly dropped Lynn. He'd forgotten that he'd heard someone else in the next room. But that voice…

"Knox?"

"In the flesh."

Charlie let go of Lynn and embraced Knox. Though the three talked often by phone and through letters or postcards, they hadn't seen each other in person since Charlie and Lynn had gotten married almost five years earlier.

"Knox, how are you, man?" Charlie asked excitedly, reaching out to shake Knox's hand and embrace him.

"Charlie." Lynn interrupted. "That's not all."

Lynn led Charlie into the next room, where for one of the rarest moments in his life, he was speechless. He wasn't surprised to see Todd and Mr. Keating there. The two of them had stuck around Welton after Charlie and Lynn's wedding, and had become frequent guests at the Dalton home. When Charlie traveled for work, one or both of them would call or come by and check on Lynn frequently. But the other faces in the room-those of Stephen Meeks and Gerard Pitts-instantly transported Charlie back to his school days.

"What the hell…?" Charlie asked breathlessly.

Lynn, who'd wrapped an arm around Charlie's waist, laughed. "I think you broke him, guys."

The entire room laughed, including Charlie, who was feeling overcome. Charlie embraced Pitts, Meeks, and Knox and sat down to talk with them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Charlie asked.

"We came to see you, knucklehead." Knox answered.

"Wow." Charlie looked to Lynn. "Did you know?"

"No!" Lynn answered. "I had the same reaction you did when they showed up."

"Well, where are you guys staying?" Charlie asked. "We haven't got a lot of room, but we can figure something out."  
Lynn nodded in confirmation.

Mr. Keating spoke for the first time. "Well, we haven't been entirely honest with you about why the boys are all here."

Lynn and Charlie looked at each other, puzzled.

"We have another surprise for you." Meeks informed them.

"Uh, boys, I don't know if I can take another surprise." Lynn said honestly as the baby kicked her hard in the stomach. "It might make the baby come early."

"Come on, you'll love it." Todd assured her.

Charlie looked at Todd in amazement as he took Lynn's hand. Just six years earlier he had been a painfully shy awkward teenager that barely spoke to anyone, even friends. Now, Charlie could barely recognize him as that same kid who had stood at his side as best man at his wedding.

Lynn gave in. "Okay, boys, what is it?"

"Uh uh." Mr. Keating said. "Follow me."

"How far are we going?" Lynn asked wearily as Charlie and Knox helped her off the couch. "I'm not as fast as I used to be."

"Not far." Mr. Keating assured her, opening the door for her.

Lynn walked out first, followed by Charlie and Todd, then Meeks and Pitts. They walked for nearly a half mile before stopping in front of a familiar sight.

"This is your surprise." Mr. Keating told them, grinning.

What was going on? Charlie and Lynn were thoroughly confused, but could see that the others knew what Keating had up his sleeve. But the house they had stopped in front of was Mr. Keating's.

"Um, Mr. Keating…" Lynn started.

"Welcome to your home." he said, handing some papers over to Charlie.

Charlie read the papers over briefly and explained to Lynn, "This is our house."

Lynn's mouth gaped open. "What? Mr. Keating, are you leaving?"

"No, no, nothing like that." he answered. "I was looking for a smaller place. You two need a bigger one. I thought we could switch."

Lynn was touched, but there was a problem. "Mr. Keating, with the baby coming, we can't…"  
Knox couldn't stand it anymore. "We bought the house from him. As a gift for you two."

Now it was Lynn's turn to be speechless. She covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face. She leaned against Charlie for support, too overcome to even speak.

"I think you broke her, guys." Charlie quipped.

Lynn laughed, trying to compose herself as best she could. She loved Mr. Keating, Todd, Knox, and the other guys. They were the best friends she and Charlie had ever had. She loved Charlie more than life itself, but with his traveling so much, she was constantly lonely. Lynn steadied herself, and thanked them the best way she knew how.

"Um, you guys know…" she started, still wiping away tears, "that when Charlie and I got married, both our families pretty much cut us off. I thought, after Neil, that Charlie was the only family I'd ever have. You proved me wrong tonight."  
"Well said, babe." Charlie agreed.

"And because of that, we'd like to ask you guys a favor." Lynn smiled, realizing she'd probably just received the biggest favor of her life. "Another one."

"Anything." Mr. Keating replied.

"Well," Lynn realized she hadn't talked to Charlie, but he was nodding enthusiastically. "Charlie and I want you to be our baby's honorary grandfather."

"I'd be honored." Mr. Keating said, a tear glistening at the corner of his eye. "I always wanted children."

"Well, now you have children," Lynn said, indicating herself and Charlie, "and grandchildren." Another idea struck Lynn, and she grabbed Charlie and whispered something in his ear.

"I love it!" Charlie said, excited. "Go on, tell 'em, babe."

Lynn faced the boys again. "Charlie I have been struggling with who to name as the baby's godfather."  
Lynn could see them waiting on pins and needles for the decision.

"We want you all to do it." Charlie explained.

The boys all gave their agreement.

"Well, I'm starving." Knox said.

"Dinner, at least, is on me." Charlie said, to no disagreement.  
"Um, Charlie." Lynn said, tightening her grip on his arm. "I don't think there's time for dinner."

Charlie was shocked out of his daydream by the feeling of something crawling around on his feet. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was only Lynn's old tabby cat. Charlie picked her up and carried her to the kitchen to feed her.

"You miss mom, too?" Charlie asked. "Don't worry, she'll be home soon."

Charlie scratched the cat's head and got up to go to bed. Out of habit, he went to the wall to mark a day off the calendar. Next to the calendar was a framed photo of Lynn and her twin brother Neil. Charlie marked off the day, then noticed what the following day would be. December 1, 1979. Twenty years to the day since Neil had taken his own life and, in effect, changed Charlie and Lynn's forever.

Charlie felt like a fool. Lynn always left around the same time of year. Sometime between Thanksgiving and the beginning of December. Depending on how chaotic the year had been she was usually gone for around a week. She always came back happier and more ready to face whatever their life threw at them. Charlie wanted to weep. Lynn wasn't cheating on him. She never had. She was just using the time to remember, maybe say goodbye to, her brother. How could he have accused her of something so terrible? Charlie sat at the kitchen table, trying to think of a way to apologize to her.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Lynn walked into the cabin, feeling a little better but not quite back to normal. She flipped the light on and this time, was not surprised to see Neil waiting for her.

"How'd it go?" Neil asked.

"You were right." Lynn told him.

"You okay?"

Lynn sighed. "Yeah. I told him I'd we'd talk about it when I got home."

"You didn't tell him?"

"No." Lynn told him. "That's not really a conversation for the phone."

Neil smiled. "That'll be an interesting talk."

"Yeah." Lynn nodded. "I'm hungry. You want some dinner?"

"Oh, you're funny." Neil answered, with Lynn smirking.

Lynn got up and went to the kitchen to put away the groceries she had brought in with her. "How is it you can steal my smokes but you can't eat or drink?"

Neil had indeed taken Lynn's smokes from her car. "Sheer willpower." he quipped.

Lynn smiled and started to make her dinner, making small talk and laughing with Neil the entire time. It was, at least for a while, as though no time had passed. But as Lynn put her dishes into the sink and sat on the couch next to Neil, it hit her exactly how much time had passed.  
"Has it really been twenty years?" she asked him, taking the last cigarette out of the box.

"Yep." Neil laid back and looked up at the ceiling. "Almost exactly."

Lynn felt some of the tension from the day leave as she took a long drag off her cigarette. "Wow."

Neil was stamping his cigarette out and laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lynn asked.

"I was just thinking about the first time you told me about you and Charlie."

MAY 1959

Knox, Pitts, Meeks, Cameron, and Neil stood in the hallway waiting patiently on Charlie to come down. The boys had been speculating for days about the mystery girl Charlie had been spending so much time with and had invited to the end of year dance. The boys watched as the girls from Charis Young Girls School walked in, admiring them in the way that young boys do. None of the boys except Charlie had had any luck finding a date for the dance, so they were particularly interested in the girl Charlie had chosen. Charlie walked out, dressed in his Sunday best. The boys whistled, impressed.

"Thank you, boys." Charlie said.

"So where's this mysterious girl?" Knox asked.

"Right here."

The boys turned around and all of them, especially Neil, were stunned. Lynn was there, in a simple, flowing pink dress, her long, dark brown hair done with tight curls and ribbons. Charlie walked over to her, taking her hand and kissing it tenderly Lynn smiled ear to ear.

"Hello, beautiful." Charlie greeted her.

"Hello, handsome." Lynn greeted, taking his hand.

Charlie turned to face the rest of the group, who were shocked. Charlie put an arm around Lynn, who was keeping an eye on Neil.

"Neil? You okay?" Lynn asked.

"You two are together?" Neil asked, mouth hanging open.  
"Yeah." Lynn answered. "Are you okay with that?"

Neil seemed shocked, but Lynn could see he was coming around. She'd been nervous about Neil finding out about her and Charlie, and felt bad now that she'd allowed Charlie to talk her into this. She and Neil were best friends and told each other almost everything. So she was surprised when Neil reacted with a smile.

"I think it's great." Neil said.

Lynn relaxed, visibly relieved. She greeted the rest of the boys then turned back to Charlie.

"You ready?"

"Hang on." Neil said. "I want to talk to Charlie alone."

Lynn eyed him suspiciously. "Neil?"

"Don't worry." Neil said. "I'll bring him back in one piece."  
Lynn walked into the dance, still eyeing Neil. When she was just out of earshot, Neil turned to Charlie, assisted by Knox and Meeks, who stood behind Neil with folded arms.

"Dalton, that's my sister. I hope you two are happy, but…" Neil paused a moment for dramatic effect, "…if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you."

Charlie realized Neil was just trying to protect his sister. "Got it."

"Alright, then." Neil answered. "Let's go."

Lynn was laughing so hard she was crying. "That's what you said to him? He never would tell me." Lynn said, wiping away a tear. "What made you think of that?"

"I just realized that was over twenty years ago. Seems like twenty seconds." Neil said, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice.

Lynn caught on right away. "What's wrong?"

Neil's answer caught Lynn off guard. "I've been dead longer than I was alive."

Lynn was shocked. Neil had never really said much about being….Lynn stopped her thought as she realized how ridiculous it would sound. But another memory struck her.

"I knew when you did it."

"What?" Neil asked.

"When you shot yourself." Lynn answered. "I knew. I didn't know exactly what was going on at the time, but I knew something terrible had happened."  
"Tell me about it."

DECEMBER 1959

Lynn got out of bed and walked to her window, staring out at the snow that was blanketing the ground. Normally, she loved the sight of snow. It was one of the most beautiful things in the world to her. But tonight the world seemed too ugly for her to enjoy much of anything.

She checked the clock on the wall. Four hours. She had been feeling this massive, crushing guilt and fear for the last four hours. She had been going over and over in her mind that last conversation she'd had with Neil. Two hours before that damn play. He'd shown up an hour before he was due at Henley Hall and told her everything. How he hadn't really talked to Father about the play. How guilty he'd felt when lying to Mr. Keating.

Foolishly, she thought now, Lynn had taken Neil's hand and told him to shut up. Just shut up and seize the day. For once do what you want. Make yourself happy. Mr. Keating would forgive you. Neil had hugged her tightly, thanked her and left smiling.

What the hell had she been thinking?

Everything had gone great for a while. Charlie had come to get her a few minutes after Neil had left, and they'd walked slowly the quarter mile back to Welton, holding hands and laughing at the stupidest things. They'd met Mr. Keating and she'd ridden to the theater with them. Neil had been captivating. She couldn't wait to find him afterwards and tell him how brilliant he'd been. How he'd found his calling. Then the world had started to unravel.

She had spotted Father the second the door opened. Fortunately, he was staring at the stage so hard that he hadn't seen her. She'd turned around quickly and sunk down in her seat, putting her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob. Charlie had seen it, and given her his Welton jacket to help hide her. He put a supportive arm around her shoulder.

That was when the fear had started. Lynn had tried to enjoy the rest of the play, but she knew that something bad was coming. Father would likely take Neil directly home that night. But after the argument the two of them had had, would Father finally do what Lynn had always feared? Would he pull Neil out of school and separate the two of them? He had threatened it before, but Mother had always managed to talk him out of it.

The play finished, but all the joy Lynn had felt at the start of the play had been sapped by worry and dread. She had quietly traded seats with Charlie, who'd held her hand the entire time. Lynn stood up and smiled at Neil, quickly mouthing "I love you" to him. He'd had the good sense not to say it back to her, in case Father saw it and realized she was there too. He'd simply nodded, knowing as well as she did that it could very well be their last night together for a long while.

While the audience had been milling about, getting ready to go home, Lynn had quickly told Mr. Keating she was going to the restroom. Once there, Lynn had vomited for what seemed like forever. With knees of jelly she walked outside cautiously. Charlie was waiting for her patiently, along with Mr. Keating.

"Your father's gone." Charlie said immediately. Noticing she was deathly pale and walking shakily, he ran to her and helped her over. "You okay?"  
"Neil?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"Come on, sit down." Charlie said, leading her over to a bench next to the wall. "Your dad took Neil."

Neil felt a pang of despair hit her. "Did he see me?"  
"I don't think so." Charlie said.

Lynn looked sorrowfully at Mr. Keating. "He lied to you. He asked me to tell you he was sorry if he didn't get the chance."  
Mr. Keating nodded. "I know. It's alright."

Lynn turned to Charlie. "I'm so scared." she said, starting to sob.

Charlie had held her and attempted to comfort her, while Mr. Keating had stood there, offering the occasional word of comfort and once a glass of water. Lynn had calmed down eventually, but more because she'd run out of tears than because she felt better. Mr. Keating had driven her back to her school first, where Charlie had hugged her tightly and sworn to come back as soon as he could. They'd shared a kiss and Charlie had reluctantly left to go back to Welton.

That had been over four and a half hours ago, and Lynn had felt every second of it. Lynn felt a chill. She realized the window had been left open. Reaching down to close it, Lynn spotted someone standing in the snow.

"Neil?"

Neil was standing down in the snow, looking up at her and…smiling? Lynn wanted to run down to him and ask what he was doing there, sure he had run away. But Neil was saying something to her. It took a moment, but when Lynn figured out what he was saying, her heart dropped.

"Goodbye. I love you."  
Lynn knew that Neil couldn't possibly be there. Something was terribly wrong. But before she had a chance to try to find out, there was a soft knock at the door and it opened with a creak.

"Ms. Perry, I need you to come with me, please."

Mrs. Patrick, the headmistress of the school, was at the door in her sleeping clothes. Lynn could see something was wrong right away from the look of gloom on her face and the lack of a reprimand for not being in bed. To avoid waking her sleeping roommate, Lynn crept out of the room into the hallway.

"Come with me, dear."

"Is it my brother?" Lynn asked, the fear starting to crush her.

Mrs. Patrick looked at Lynn, a look of sympathy and pity on her face. "Come on."

Lynn saw the sun was coming up and had a terrible sense of her life as she knew it being over. "Please just tell me." she begged.

Mrs. Patrick sighed and sat Lynn down on a chair in the hallway. She sat next to her and took her hand, dreading what she had to tell Lynn.

"Sweethart, Neil's dead."

Lynn's breath caught in her chest. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"He's…." Lynn couldn't say it. "What?"  
"Your neighbor just called. The police are at your house now." Mrs. Patrick decided she needed to tell Lynn the entire truth right now. "Neil shot himself, dear."

Lynn got up from her position next to Neil, too overcome to continue the story. Neil felt guilty beyond belief. He'd never known what had happened moments after his death. How Lynn had found out, or Charlie, or the rest of the Dead Poets. Lynn went to the kitchen and started doing the dishes in order to distract herself. Neil got up and followed her.

"I'm sorry, sis."

Lynn put down the rag she had in her hand. She knew that she'd had to have this conversation with Neil, but it was one she had been avoiding for twenty years. Now that the time had come, she felt less ready to have it than ever before.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Charlie sat up in bed, unable to sleep because of guilt. The cat was sleeping next to him, Charlie absentmindedly stroking him. Charlie was looking at a picture taken the day he and Lynn had gotten married. A small knock at the door startled Charlie.

"Come in."

The door opened and a familiar curly mop of hair stepped in. Mollie came over to his side of the bed, holding a teddy bear that had been passed down to her from Danielle.

"What's wrong, princess?" Charlie asked. "Can't sleep?"

Mollie shook her head, rubbing her eyes and holding up her arms. Charlie picked her up and put her next to him. Charlie loved all of his children, but Mollie was special to him. Mollie settled in next to Charlie, who propped the picture back up on the nightstand next to him.

"What's that, Daddy?" Mollie asked.

Charlie took the picture off the nightstand again and handed it to her. "That's the day your mommy and I got married."

Mollie studied the picture for a moment, then looked back up at Charlie. She held the bear closer to her and snuggled in tighter. Charlie pulled the blanket up to her and wrapped her up.

"Will you tell me about it, daddy?" Mollie asked, yawning.

"About what?" Charlie asked. Mollie's yawn was turning contagious.

"The picture." she answered.

Charlie smiled and started his story.

JUNE 1960

Charlie stood in the back of the church, feeling surprisingly nervous about what was about to happen. He and Lynn had eloped six months earlier, and had been living in an apartment building for the last four. Knox and Todd were by his side, trying to keep him from getting too edgy about what was coming, but it wasn't helping. Charlie sat down and asked Knox again,

"What time is it?"

"Five minutes later than the last time you asked." Knox told him. "Relax. What are you so nervous about?"

"I don't know." Charlie said. "I guess I'm just making up for not being nervous last time."

Knox smiled. He was happy for Charlie. After the tragic events of the end of last semester, he and Lynn, who were the members of the Dead Poets most severely affected, had been the ones to really embrace their lives afterwards. He remembered feeling shocked when he'd heard on the rumor mill at Welton that Charlie and Lynn had eloped a little more than a week after Neil had died. Shocked and proud. He remembered feeling happy, overjoyed even, that the two of them and Mr. Keating had decided to stay in the area. And he remembered feeling honored when Charlie had called him two weeks earlier, explaining that one of Lynn's wishes for her birthday was to have a real wedding ceremony involving all their friends.

The ceremony that Charlie had planned for Lynn, which was a surprise for her, had been masterfully put together. Chris, who was now Knox's fiancé and had become friends with Lynn, had sneakily invited Lynn to her wedding dress fitting ten days ago. She'd noticed Lynn eyeing one dress, convinced her to try it on, and since it fit perfectly, had come back later and bought the dress for her. Chris was also functioning as her maid of honor, as Lynn didn't really have many friends at her school.

Todd was pacing, looking around the room and feeling out of place. Charlie had decided to ask him to fill in for Neil as his best man. Before Knox had a chance to say anything to Todd, Mr. Keating walked in.

"Ready to go, gentlemen? Chris and Lynn just pulled up."

"Aye, aye, Captain." The three boys said at almost the exact same time.

Knox and Charlie stayed behind, while Mr. Keating and Charlie walked out to meet the girls in the parking lot. Chris walked out with an arm around Lynn, who was giggling at something Chris was telling her. She didn't seem surprised to be there. Charlie had put Chris in charge of bringing Lynn to the church but hadn't specified what he wanted Chris to tell her. _Good going, Chris._ Lynn stopped when she noticed Charlie, dressed in his best (and only) suit.

"Hi." she greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi yourself." he responded, planting a kiss on her. "I'm here to see you."

"Okay." Lynn returned his kiss and greeted Mr. Keating. "Hi."

"Hello, dear." Mr. Keating answered. He was grinning ear to ear.

"Okay, guys, what's going on?" Lynn asked.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Charlie asked, feigning innocence. When Lynn raised an eyebrow, he laughed. "Okay. Here's the deal. We have a surprise for you."

Lynn grinned. Today was her birthday. She had thought that Charlie had forgotten. Part of her, she was ashamed to admit, actually wanted him to forget, since Neil wasn't around to share it with her. But clearly, he hadn't forgotten.

"What is it?" she asked, bouncing up and down like a child.

Charlie grinned. "Uh uh. Close your eyes."

Lynn obeyed and held her hand out to him, which Charlie took. Chris and Mr. Keating followed closely behind them, both barely able to suppress giggles. Charlie led her inside and to the back of the main room of the church, wrapped both arms around her waist and rested a chin on her shoulder.  
"Open." he said softly in her ear.

Lynn opened her eyes slowly and gasped. The first thing she noticed was the flowers. Pink roses, her absolute favorite, were everywhere. A framed picture of Neil, Lynn, and Charlie sat on a stand at the front. A man stood there that Lynn had never seen before. She assumed he was the reverend of the church. Charlie whispered in her ear,

"Babe, I need to ask you something."

Lynn turned to him, tears forming in her eyes.

Charlie took her hand and knelt on one knee. "Will you marry me? Again?"

Lynn, overwhelmed, could do nothing more than put a hand to her face and cry. The tears were flowing freely now, and she nodded vigorously. She couldn't believe Charlie had pieced this together without her knowing or suspecting anything. She had been dreading this day for six months, but Charlie had turned it into one that she would never forget. Lynn pulled Charlie up off his knees and embraced him tightly. Chris pointed out Lynn's dress to her, which only made her cry more. After calming down a little, Chris started to lead Lynn out towards the back of the church. Lynn stopped and ran back to Mr. Keating. Taking both his hands in hers, she whispered something in his ear.

"I'd be delighted." he said, kissing her cheek.  
"Great." Lynn said, allowing Chris to lead her out.

At Charlie's puzzled look, Mr. Keating explained, "She asked me to give her away."

Charlie smiled. He'd known that if Neil had been around, that was who Lynn would have asked, despite what her parents thought. But Neil wasn't around, nor were Lynn's parents, or Charlie's. Practically speaking, they were completely on their own. That fact worried Charlie at times. He worried he wouldn't be able to provide for Lynn like she deserved. That he wouldn't be able to make her happy. Ever since Neil's death, Lynn had been through days where she was so depressed she hardly wanted to move. Those days had become less and less frequent as time went on, but Lynn had never really gotten the spark back in her eyes that had attracted Charlie to her in the first place. Until today. Lynn seemed excited for the first time in six months. She seemed happy. Charlie felt proud, as though his mission had been accomplished.

Charlie's heart started aching again as he thought back to that day. He'd done it for Lynn, but it had ended up cementing their relationship in Charlie's mind too. He'd always loved Lynn, from the day he'd first laid eyes on her. But professing it in front of their friends, the ones who had continued to support them no matter what, made Charlie realized that they didn't need their parents in order to have a family.

"Daddy?"

Charlie had gotten so lost in telling Mollie the story he'd forgotten she was there. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You're crying."  
Charlie realized she was right. He wiped the tear away and put the picture back on the nightstand. He turned back to Mollie and smiled.  
"Do you know how beautiful you are?"

Mollie grinned, showing her crooked smile, which made Charlie laugh. Charlie tickled her mercilessly, and the two of them laughed until they were both asleep. Charlie was still thinking about what to do for Lynn when she came home.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lynn sat on the beach with Charlie, who was rubbing her shoulders just the way she liked. The weather was perfect, and Lynn was about to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Before Lynn closed her eyes for the final time, she looked out on the beach. Neil had the baby by the hand, letting him play in the surf. The baby was laughing so hard that Lynn could hear him on the other side of the beach. She smiled, starting to close her eyes to go to sleep.

Black storm clouds suddenly came up. Charlie, alarmed, started gathering up all their belongings while Lynn went to get the baby. But Lynn couldn't move. Neil had let go of the baby, who was caught in the surf and drifting further and further out to sea. The clouds were getting darker and darker. Neil was waving at her, much the same way he had done that night outside her window. Lynn screamed. Screamed for Neil to go get the baby. Screamed for him to come to her so they could leave. Screamed as loud as she could. But no sound was coming out.  
"Lynn! Wake up!"

Lynn was startled awake, and for a moment was confused. She realized she'd been dreaming, a dream she'd had before but not for fifteen years. Lynn realized she was crying. Neil was sitting next to her, arm around her, holding a glass of water out to her. Lynn accepted and sipped the water slowly, as Neil rubbed her back to comfort her. Lynn handed the glass back to him with shaking hands.  
"Nightmare?" he asked as he put the glass beside him.

Lynn nodded. "I've had it before." she told him. "When I lost Caleb."

Neil was surprised. Lynn had not talked about Caleb since the year she'd miscarried him. She had mentioned to him that she had nightmares about Caleb, but had always refused to talk about them. Lynn looked at Neil, still crying.

"I miss him so much."

"I know." Neil said. "I'm sorry, sis."

"My baby." Lynn said, her voice full of hurt.

Neil felt a pang of guilt. Lynn had been through so much. So much and he hadn't really been there for her. Even though he knew he'd done what he did for her, he still felt guilty for not being able to help her when she needed him. Neil got up from the bed, went to the window and looked outside. Fresh snow was falling outside.

"I'm sorry."

He had almost whispered it. Lynn wasn't sure she'd heard him. She looked at him, and Neil turned to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry." he repeated.

Lynn felt an old, familiar anger rise up in her. Twenty years of seeing Neil and he'd never said that before. Lynn looked to the floor. Yes, she'd felt somewhat angry at Neil for what he'd done. But her feelings of anger towards Neil had always been overshadowed by her feelings of guilt, sadness, and loneliness. Then Lynn realized something.

"I've never really been angry at you."

Neil seemed surprised. "Really?"

Lynn sniffed, wiping her eyes again. "No. I don't blame you."

Neil seemed relieved. "That's good."

Lynn could see what was on his mind. "You know about Father, don't you?"

Neil nodded sadly.

"Do you regret it?" Lynn asked.

Neil had never really considered the question, so he thought it through before answering her. He'd made the decision to kill himself almost immediately after getting home that night and having the argument with his father. He'd known that it would hurt Lynn and hurt her deep. But Neil had accomplished what he hoped to accomplish. Lynn was free from Father. She was happy, with a family and a life of her own.

"No." Neil said. "No."

Lynn nodded. "I know." she smiled.

"What was my funeral like?" Neil asked.

Lynn was surprised. "You didn't go?"

"No." Neil answered. "I wasn't sure I could face you."

Lynn laughed. "I wondered why you never asked about that."

"About what?"

"Yeah, um…" Lynn opened up the second pack of cigarettes she'd brought with her. "I didn't go either."  
"Why?"

"I got in a argument with Father." she explained. "That's the night I found the letter you wrote me and left home."

"You got in a fight with Father at my funeral?"

"Yep." Lynn answered.

DECEMBER 9, 1959

Lynn sat upstairs in her room, looking out the window at the parade of people coming in and out of her house. Lynn felt void and empty inside. Neil had been dead for eight days now. The worst eight days of Lynn's life. She had cried for the first three days nonstop. After that, she had been going through life in a haze. Much to her surprise, her mother and father had allowed Charlie to come by every day. Lynn hadn't been very hungry, but Charlie had gently forced her to eat and drink at least enough so she wouldn't faint. He'd sat with her while she cried, at times so hard that she felt as though she might vomit.

But now, sitting by herself for the first time in days, Lynn was back to thinking about Neil. She'd been searching for him every day. She'd start to say something to him, then, realizing he wasn't there, would have to remind herself why. As much as Lynn was still hurting, she'd simply become too tired to cry. The world was ugly to her now, someplace she didn't want to be for any reason.

"Amelia, come on. You need to be downstairs."

Lynn pushed back her feelings of rage at her father and simply ignored him. She wasn't interested in the parade of people downstairs offering fake sympathy and words of encouragement. Lynn did envy one thing about them, though. When most of the people in her house tonight left, they would be able to go home and go about their business. She wanted more than anything to be able to do just that. Lynn thought back to the suicide note Neil had left. He had written it and put it under her pillow so she would be sure to find it. He must have been worried that Father, or maybe even Mother, would find it and hide it from her. She hadn't told either of them about it, much less shown it to them. She had read it so much over the past week that she knew it by heart.

Dear Lynn,

I know right now you're hurting, and I'm sorry for that. I want you to know that I love you, love you so much. I'll never forgive myself for hurting you, but I didn't see any other choice.

When Father brought me home tonight, he informed me that he was withdrawing me from Welton and enrolling me in Braden Military School. I realized then that if I didn't do something now, Father would take over both your life and mine. Which brings me to right now. I'm sitting at Father's desk with the gun in my hand, and I find myself thinking only about you. I know this will hurt Mother and Father, but I don't care. The only thing that makes me pause is hurting you. You have been my best friend since the day we were born. You have always been there for me, supporting me and loving me no matter what. I want to thank you for that from the bottom of my heart.

I also want to ask you a favor. Please don't let my death be in vain. Break away from Father and live your life the way you want. I know you're in love with Charlie. And I know how much this means to you, so I want you to be absolutely clear how I feel about it. You have my blessing. Both of you. Go. Be happy. Get married. Have kids. But what I don't want you to do is let Father decide how you should live your life. Please, do what YOU want, not what he plans for you.

Please tell the rest of the Dead Poets that I'm sorry. I did what I felt like I had to for you. Tell Todd that I don't want this to make him sink deeper into himself. Break out. Enjoy life. Carpe diem. Tell him if he gives them a chance, the rest of the Dead Poets will continue to be there for him, even though I won't be there (in person, anyway).

I love you, Beanie. Always.

Much Love,

Neil

"Amelia?" Father answered, an annoyed edge to his voice. "Let's go."

"No."

Father seemed stunned, unable to say anything. Lynn knew that that wouldn't last long, but she didn't care. She was no longer afraid of Father's disapproval. It didn't matter to her whether he was angry or upset with her. Without Neil, she didn't have a reason to care. Father snapped out of his silence.

"Amelia Lynn, this is neither the time nor the place…" he started scolding her, taking her arm to lead her downstairs.

Lynn snatched back from him sharply. "Don't touch me!" she said, practically foaming at the mouth.

"Why are you doing this?" Father asked. Was he actually trying to be reasonable?

"You really don't know, do you?" Lynn asked. "You really don't see it."

"See what?" Father asked.

Lynn decided now was as good a time as any to show Father the letter. She pulled it out from under her pillow, where she had kept it to read every night before she went to sleep. Father looked it over, read it, and then read it again. Lynn could see a chink come up in Father's armor, but it was quickly replaced with fuming anger.

"Amelia, I did nothing to your brother…" Father started.

Lynn started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"The fact that you believe that." Lynn answered. "You really think Mr. Keating's the reason that Neil's…." Lynn still couldn't say it.  
"Yes." Father answered simply.

Lynn just shook her head, looking away from him to avoid exploding at him. Lynn felt herself starting to break down. She'd put up walls for the last four days, walking around going through the motions of making everyone think she was okay. Lynn felt herself start to shake and start to breathe harder.

"Amelia…" Father started.

"I _hate_ that name." Lynn said venomously. "You and Mother are the only people who call me that."

"Where is all this coming from?" Father asked.

"I've always felt this way." Lynn answered him. "Not that you cared enough to ask."

"Amelia…" Father started again, an exasperated tone in his voice.

Lynn finally broke. Her defenses came down, and she felt all her sadness, anger, rage, frustration roll out of her. She felt pain, so much pain, enter her heart that she feared she would explode. In the space of half a second, Lynn started screaming.  
"How can you not see this? NEIL IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Saying the words made Lynn realize that Neil was gone. Really gone. Forever. She felt her world come crashing down yet again. Lynn took a look in the doorway and saw Charlie standing there, a look of sympathy and concern on his face. Lynn felt her knees go weak beneath her.

"He's really gone." she said, barely above a whisper.

Charlie nodded, and Lynn hit her knees, sobs wracking her whole body. Charlie ran in and embraced her, holding her tightly as he could. Father seemed uncomfortable, and after a moment, he attempted to break them up.

"Amelia, let's go. Everyone is downstairs waiting. We don't want to be rude."

Charlie had had enough. He helped Lynn up, while she held onto his arm tightly. Charlie supported her, and turned to face her father.

"The only one being 'rude' here is you." Charlie said, pulling Lynn closer to him. "The only one worried about what people are thinking is you. Your daughter is hurting. Your son was hurting. And you don't care." Charlie turned to Lynn. "Lynn, if you want to stay here, that's fine. But if you want to come with me, let's go."

"Go where?" Lynn asked, still holding onto his arm.

Charlie took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Anywhere we want."

Neil was amazed. "I never knew that."

"How'd you think I got away from home?" Lynn asked, wiping away the last of her tears.

"I didn't know. I was just glad you did." Neil answered.

Lynn took a deep breath. "Okay, that's enough of that." She pulled a deck of cards out of her purse. "Poker?"

Neil grinned. "You're on."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Charlie felt the sun on his face and woke slowly. It was Saturday, so Charlie waited a little before getting out of bed. Mollie was still sleeping, so Charlie wrapped her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Charlie pulled on his bathrobe and slippers and padded out to the kitchen to start making breakfast. Danielle was sitting in the living room, rereading the book Charlie had read to her and Mollie the night before.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Hi, daddy." Danielle greeted him.

Charlie kissed her on top of her head, just as he'd done every morning since she was a baby. "You sleep okay?"

"I guess." she answered.

Charlie sat next to her, concerned. "What's wrong, Bunny?"

"Did mommy leave because of me?"

Charlie was shocked by the question. "Honey, no. Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"She promised we'd spend the day together before she left." Danielle answered.

Charlie felt guilty himself. He remembered Lynn making that promise to Danielle, and had meant to remind Lynn about it when she had called that first night. He realized now why Danielle hadn't talked to Lynn longer on the phone. As the middle kid, Danielle sometimes felt left out. Lynn and Charlie took turns spending alone time with Danielle to try and soften the "middle child syndrome". Charlie pulled Danielle onto his lap.

"Mommy didn't leave because of you, baby. Mommy left because of me."

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked.

"Mommy and I had an argument the night before she left." Charlie explained honestly. "She left to give me and her some time to feel better. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I guess." Danielle answered.

Charlie decided to leave it alone.

"When's she coming home?" Danielle asked.  
"I don't know. Probably a couple of days." Charlie said.  
"'Kay."

Charlie smiled. "You know you look just like your mommy?"

"Really?" Danielle asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yep." Charlie brushed back a stray hair back behind her ear and got an idea. "Why don't you get dressed? We'll spend the day together."  
"Really?" Danielle lit up. "Just us?"

"Just us." Charlie promised.  
"What about Junior and Mollie?"

"I'll leave a note for Junior. He can take care of Mollie until we get back."

Danielle smiled. "Thanks, daddy."

"Go on. Go get dressed."

Danielle ran to her room to get dressed, and Charlie watched her go, thinking again about how foolish he was to think that Lynn would do anything to destroy their family. Charlie got up to write the note to Junior and get dressed, briefly thinking back to the first time he'd had a talk just like that with Danielle.

MAY 1975

Charlie walked around the house, slightly bouncing in order to keep the sleeping Mollie draped over his shoulder asleep. Charlie had become quite adept at doing things with one arm while holding Mollie with the other. Charlie was happy to help take care of Mollie when she woke up at night, as Lynn had done most of the nighttime (and daytime) care for Junior and Danielle. But there were nights, like this one, where Charlie wished that six week old Mollie would allow Lynn to put her back to sleep.

"Daddy?"

Charlie, who was standing at the fridge looking for a late night snack, jumped and gripped Mollie tighter to him to stop himself from dropping her. Danielle was awake, standing in front of him holding on to a teddy bear she slept with every night. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Honey, what are you doing up?" he asked.

"Couldn't sleep." Danielle answered simply.

Charlie sighed. The problem seemed to be contagious. "You want a snack?"

Danielle nodded.

"Go sit down."

Danielle sat at the table while Charlie made PBJ sandwiches for the two of them. He poured two glasses of milk and put one each in front of Danielle. Charlie put Mollie back to bed and came back to join Danielle.

"You okay, honey?" Charlie asked.  
"Yeah."

Danielle's flat answer told Charlie he needed to dig a little to get to the truth. "What's going on?"

Danielle put her sandwich down, frowning. "I miss you and mommy."

Charlie was puzzled. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"I don't see you two much since the baby came home." Danielle explained.

Charlie sighed. He and Lynn had been busy with Mollie since they'd brought her home. Charlie kicked himself for not recognizing that Danielle would be jealous and needing a little extra attention.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Charlie said, pulling Danielle into his lap. "We didn't mean to make you feel bad." Danielle said nothing, so Charlie kept trying. "It's gonna be tough for a little while. Mollie needs a lot of extra attention from me and mommy."

"I guess." Danielle answered, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Hey." Charlie turned her around to look him in the eye. "No matter what, you're still my baby girl."

"No, Mollie is. You said so yourself." Danielle said, about to cry. "When you got home from work today."

Charlie bit back an impatient remark. He was short of sleep and temper, and as much as he loved Danielle, he was not in the mood to argue with her. Instead, he put her hand on his chest.

"You feel that?" Charlie asked. "You know what that is?"

"Your heart." Danielle answered.

"That's right." Charlie said, smiling. "You, Junior, and Mollie are the reason my heart beats. I love you guys so much. There's plenty of room in there for you, and Junior, and Mollie, and mommy."

"You still love me as much as you did?" Danielle asked, moving her hand away from his heart.

"Even more." Charlie swore to her. "Every day, I love you guys more and more. Just because a new person comes into the family doesn't mean I love you less. Do you understand?"

Danielle nodded, wrapping her arms around Charlie and burying her face in his chest. "I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, pumpkin." Charlie said, relieved he now had two happy girls.

"Ready, Daddy."

Charlie was snapped out of his daydream. Danielle had indeed dressed herself and was ready to go.

"'Kay, kiddo. Let's go."


End file.
